So sad! I just found out about the event in Madison! I would have liked to bring up my "home-made" hybrid! A 1995 Chevy Blazer that has an electric motor inserted into the drivetrain (behind the transmission). Around town fuel efficiency gain of ~30%. Pictures available at: http://www.go-ev.com/S10-blazer.html

Enjoy,
George

 

Yep, you would have been popular and I bet the Marketing Men (or Women) from GM might put a "Volt 2007" badge on it!

 

Cool. I've read about this outfit before.

How is the electric motor powered? There's nothing on the site (that I can found, anyway) about any massive battery pack they're selling or anything.

 

The system runs on 48 Volts of batteries (or 72)! (100Amp Hr each). Torque is a function of Amps provided the motor, and with 600 Amps there is plenty of torque (450 Amps to the 11" motor produces 135 ft. lbs at 1450 RPM! (72 Volts). The Blazer only has a 7" diameter motor due to room constraints. RPM's are a function of Volts with series wound DC motors. So 48-72 volts is really all you need with this configuration.

I placed the batteries in a box in the back of the truck because: #1. I'm lazy, #2 they are easy to access #3 I don't use the space for anything else. There is also room along the frame rails, but it would have been a bit more work to mount and wire....

I get around 50 miles of CITY driving before I need to recharge. The EMIS module allows the low voltage to be variably set, so it is possible to have greater range, but that would likely lower the life of the batteries. You can also set "start" and "stop" speeds for the motor if you are doing HIGHWAY driving - I have not tested the mileage on the highway as I realize the major benefit is around town. Consequently, I turn the motor off and let it free wheel after 30 MPH.

I am working on a sustained charging, regen version. The current PHEV version works EXTREMELY well - I have been driving it daily for 3 years with NO problems!

Enjoy,
George

 

Too bad you couldn't make it. Everyone here is having a great time. Lots to see and do. Toyota has a GREAT display. Lots of great vendors. Tons of hybrids all over the place.